Chapter 224 Original Story Side Story (Unlockable with 80% subscription): A sequel to the original story side story (Thanks to 8992869 for the deep water).

This catastrophe, which nearly destroyed the entire country of Japan, has finally come to a complete end.

Since Gojo Satoru had wiped out the entire headquarters before the war began, the only high-ranking official who could speak to outsiders was Yoshinobu Rakuganji, the principal of the Kyoto school.

Therefore, he had to take on the responsibility of liaising with the government, explaining that the crisis had been resolved and urging them to begin preparations for postwar reconstruction as soon as possible.

"Those...those cursed spirits..."

The scope of the [Death Annihilation Return] plotted by Rōsō was too wide. As early as after the Shibuya incident, the government had no choice but to disclose the existence of the cursed spirits to the general public. However, they also played a clever trick, claiming that the cursed spirits would only appear in Tokyo.

In this way, the magical power leaked by ordinary people across the country in response to this matter will only flow to Tokyo and gather there, like countless streams flowing into a lake.

It's equivalent to sacrificing and completely abandoning Tokyo, but other non-Tokyo areas outside the [Death Return] barrier can enjoy a brief and fragile moment of peace.

How long this stability can last depends entirely on the outcome of the great battle between Gojo Satoru and Ryomen Sukuna.

"It won't happen again. Focus on rebuilding."

Faced with the government's attitude of both respect and fear, Yoshinobu Rakuganji sighed inwardly, feeling helpless about the future.

Kazuma Hatori's plan was very successful. When Yuta Otsuku forced Maki Zenin to assimilate with the embryonic state of [Tengen], and then made her assimilate with all the ordinary people in a super-overlapping manner, the ordinary people who were subjected to [Ten-yu Curse] might not be able to obtain a strong physique like Maki Zenin, but they would no longer have the trouble of leaking curse power and giving birth to curses.

If Yuki Tsukumo could witness this moment in person, perhaps she would clap her hands with joy and laugh, saying, "So that's how it is!"

At this moment, a bouquet of flowers was quietly and solemnly placed in front of her tombstone, swaying gently in the breeze.

"I want Tsumiki's too... and Kusakabe's too... and also..."

Dressed in a neat black outfit, Gojo Satoru carried a large bouquet of flowers as he walked through the cemetery, silently counting as he went.

"You'd even send a scumbag like that?"

Kazuma Hato was not usually talkative, just carrying a bundle of incense and following closely behind Satoru Gojo to offer prayers—but he became particularly unhappy when he heard the name, and his complaints made Satoru Gojo turn around, both amused and exasperated.

"To be honest, in this final battle, your record against the college is even more impressive than that of the two-faced Sukuna."

When no one else was around, Gojo Satoru finally told Hatori Kazuma the truth.

After all, Ryomen Sukuna was very virtuous and did not rush into the Tokyo Sorcery Academy, where sorcerers gathered, before the battle, turn the place upside down, and burn everyone he caught to death—he almost caused the whole place to be burned to death by this kid.

Gojo Satoru pursed his lips, making sure they only curled up slightly by three pixels, maintaining an overall serious demeanor so as not to make an expression that was too disrespectful to the deceased in the cemetery.

But his voice still carried a hint of sly teasing, and he didn't seem to be really blaming Kazuma Hagoromo.

Oh dear... how can I put it? This is the precious little one he raised with such difficulty, and he only did it to get revenge for him... who would have the heart to blame him!

Although the person standing in front of him at this moment was now an adult, no longer a cute chibi-style figure...

Gojo Satoru suddenly felt a little regretful.

But when he snapped out of his reverie and looked into the boy's innocent black eyes, and saw the regret that seemed to say "It's a pity I couldn't be more glorious" written all over his face, Gojo Satoru couldn't help but switch the bouquet to one hand and use the other hand to press down on the boy's head without any politeness, vigorously moving the hair back and forth.

"Alright, alright, we'll only hold this one ceremony."

Gojo Satoru finally couldn't help but break into a wide smile. "I haven't settled accounts with you yet. When did you learn this technique, hmm?"

He was kept in the dark the whole time!

"..."

Kazuma Hatake was indeed taken aback by the question, and although he maintained a calm expression, he was extremely guilty.

He did indeed keep it a secret for several years... He only hinted at the existence of the curse to Mr. Gojo, but never confessed it openly.

He was afraid of losing this close relationship, so he resorted to dishonest means to keep Mr. Gojo by his side for longer.

Now, a momentary outburst brings temporary pleasure, but afterwards comes the dreaded consequences.

Mr. Gojo stood beside him, smiling, waiting for his answer.

How should he bring it up? He knew that children who showed weakness and cried would get more attention from adults, and he didn't want Mr. Gojo's gaze to leave him.

If he tells the truth, he'll definitely be disliked by Mr. Gojo.

But even so, it doesn't matter. Anyway, Mr. Gojo is right beside him, and he has already gotten rid of most of those annoying people who take up Mr. Gojo's attention but don't appreciate it.

Those people don't deserve to be around Mr. Gojo at all; only he does—only him.

There will be no second person.

Kazuma Hatori stood there with his head down for a long time, the shadow of his bangs obscuring his unfathomable gaze, as if he was trying to find a reasonable explanation for the concealment, or as if he was sincerely admitting his mistake and reflecting on it.

"I……"

Just as Kazuma Hatori finally spoke in a low voice, Satoru Gojo patted his head first, interrupting him with the unspoken words, causing the other to pause and look up.

It's the first time I've seen such a blank expression; it's actually quite cute.

Gojo Satoru chuckled inwardly, ultimately deciding not to pursue the matter further—after all, he didn't care about that anyway.

It's possible that the problem actually stemmed from the game mechanics because he failed to spend money to unlock various events while in prison.

"It's nothing. More than that, I'm curious about whether you had any experience being in the same space as me before you were 13 years old... Well, according to the range of your technique, it should be within two meters. Otherwise, there's no reason why my phone would be affected by your technique... let alone such a strong and lasting effect."

Gojo Satoru gently changed the subject, explaining the reason to Hagoromo Kazuma as they continued the worship ceremony.

"Most sorcerers awaken their spells at the age of five or six. However, non-family sorcerers have no guidance and do not understand what this power they have acquired means. Occasionally, they may subconsciously reject the spells or deny the existence of supernatural powers."

"In this way, some people may awaken their spells unconsciously, and may not understand and accept the existence of spell power until they reach a more mature age."

"You may have awakened the spell when you were a child, but you just didn't realize you possessed it."

...or, resist having it.

Kazuma Hatori did not respond immediately, but silently lowered his gaze, letting it fall on Satoru Gojo's hands, which were clasped together in prayer.

He has gradually come to remember that childhood past that was buried deep in his subconscious.

A complete outburst of negative emotions is always extremely intense, utterly abandoning rationality, and consequently, the effects of spells are greatly amplified.

But Kazuma Hatori still remembers those hands—warm, steady, that lifted him from the cold, damp rubble as he wailed, and held him in their arms.

[It's alright, it's alright.]

At that moment, it was as if even the torrential rain had been shut out of the tent, leaving only that voice gently soothing him, "[You're safe now. Do you remember where home is?]"

Kazuma Hatori is now unsure what exactly he answered.

He wasn't too young then, but he was hungry and cold, and he cried so hard that his vision was blurred by tears into a shimmering halo, and he could only see the colors of the sky and the clouds.

At that moment, he seemed to think it was dawn.

[Strange, none of the other children cried as bitterly as him... Could it be that he saw a cursed spirit?]

The voice was muttering to itself, trying various methods to coax him, and in the chaos, it didn't even notice that its phone had slipped out of its pocket.

When the phone was picked up again, not only was the screen smashed to pieces on the protruding rock, but it also couldn't be turned on or off.

[Ugh... I haven't even finished the game I played last time, and I finally managed to squeeze in some free time... Now I'll have to wait until I get a new phone to replay it.]

He heard that regretful sigh as he cried himself to exhaustion.

The negative energy that had completely erupted finally found a place to go.

The phone lit up again the next time the power button was pressed—aside from the cracked screen that still needed replacing, there seemed to be no problem.

Even though he refused to speak, his identity was eventually discovered, and he was sent home.

...but at that time.

Now, standing behind Gojo Satoru, Hatori Kazuma thought to himself.

At that time, he was not actually one of the children who were lured and captured by the cursed spirit.

He was the one who was actively abandoned.

Come to think of it, it seems that his adoptive parents were threatened by someone in the past, which is why their attitude towards him changed later...

"So that's how it is."

Hato Kazuma closed his eyes and took a deep breath. By the time Gojo Satoru finished his prayers and stood up to look at him, he had completely calmed down the turbulent emotions in his heart and returned to his usual state.

“Perhaps we did meet,” he said softly, “but I can’t remember.”

"It's okay, that was just my guess."

Gojo Satoru couldn't recall his first encounter with Kazuma when he was a child.

He has done too many missions and saved too many people. He has spent eighty percent of his life on this endless road. Even if the person he saved reappears in front of him after many years, Gojo Satoru could not remember clearly.

However, this did not prevent him from demonstrating his skill in coaxing children.

"How about I take you to a family restaurant for lunch later? There aren't any fancy restaurants around... How about I take you to Ginza next time? Wild Rose and the others love it there."

With only one bouquet of flowers left in his hand, Gojo Satoru smiled and asked Hagoromo Kazuma, already mentally prepared for complaints that his family restaurant was a bit ordinary.

"family……"

Kazuma Hatori's dark eyes lit up slightly at the prospect of going to a "family-style" restaurant with Mr. Gojo, and he nodded without hesitation, "I'll go."

"Furthermore, the trip to Ginza could be changed to a family-run restaurant."

—After a brief pause, Kazuma Hatori added a sentence earnestly.

He seemed completely uninterested in the fancy food in Ginza, and was much happier to eat at a family-style restaurant with Gojo Satoru.

Gojo Satoru chuckled, "That won't do. I have to thank Kazuma for modifying my phone's protective charm, which saved my life."

"It's the other way around."

Kazuma Hatori pursed his lips, but still spoke up to correct him.

"Um?"

"It was Mr. Gojo who saved me."

--twice.

He was too vulnerable then, with no means to cope with the world, and he didn't even know how to survive or how to catch a wisp of cloud when the sky was gone.

But he is now, and he will be in the future...

They will always be by Mr. Gojo's side, protecting this blue sky that has finally cleared up.